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Why New Chief Editor & Presenter Axed by Hungary's Public Media?

• 5 Aug 2026 9:29 AM

The appointments of the incoming editor-in-chief and presenter of M1's evening news programme have been cancelled less than 24 hours after announcing them.

Duna Médiaszolgáltató, Hungary's public media company responsible for public television, radio and the MTI news agency, confirmed on Tuesday that the appointments of Gábor Hajdú as editor-in-chief and Miklós Borsa as presenter had been withdrawn. 

The decision came shortly after Prime Minister Péter Magyar reacted publicly to the appointments on Facebook, commenting "I don't think so…" beneath a post about the announcement.



The broadcaster had said the previous day that M1's evening news programme would be relaunched in the second half of August with a new editorial team. The planned changes were presented as part of an effort to refresh the channel's flagship news output.

No official explanation was given for the withdrawal of the appointments. However, the decision followed media reports about the previous careers of the two journalists. Hajdú's earlier work with the Mészáros Group and Borsa's previous employment at public media became the focus of public discussion after their appointments were announced.

This U-turn comes during a much broader transformation of Hungary's public media system. In July, public television, radio and online news operations underwent a major restructuring, with normal news programming temporarily interrupted as the new system was introduced.

The changes were announced by the new management of the public media structure, which said the aim was to create a more credible, fact-based and impartial news service. 

The transition attracted significant attention, particularly because M1 and other public media platforms have long been at the centre of political debate over their editorial direction.

The withdrawal of these two key appointments now raises further questions about the future leadership and direction of M1's planned relaunch, with the broadcaster yet to announce who will fill the roles.

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